Hey all, Looking for advice on traveling to Japan. I'm planning on bouncing around to different places and was wondering if there are any must see areas outside of Tokyo that you would recommend. Also interested in advice on best places to stay and how to keep it cheap! Thanks

definitely Kyoto! I visited Tokyo and Osaka as well, but they had more of a generic city-vibe to them. Dont get me wrong, both places were great, but I felt more relaxed and learned more about the culture in Kyoto. We stayed in a hostel which offered Japanese futons (aka a mat on the floor) and some cool amenities for really cheap. Plus you can check out a monkey sanctuary and the bamboo forest there!

Awesome! Thank you so much for the response
. Wondering how you found traveling between cities and getting to the sites you wanted to visit? Is it difficult to get around without knowing Japanese?

The train system is very very confusing, but its the most economical way to get around (and will get you anywhere in the country!). It's certainly difficult not knowing the language, but we got along just fine. The locals are very friendly and will go out of their way to help you, so just pack your patience and be friendly

Tokyo needs at least 3-4 days to.see the good stuff. Was there for 7 and just barely saw everything I wanted to.

For places to stay try Airbnb.com

Yes I was planning on using airbnb. Have you used it in Japan? Did you find any difficulty or was the language barrier not a problem?

I loved Miyajima, a small island off Hiroshima. It's famous for the floating shrine and floating gate

I've posted this before, but here's my blog entry about Tokyo and various other places in Japan. http://melissadreamsofsushi.com/?p=8629

Oh, and I used airbnb exclusively in Japan for six months and it was great. Language wasn't a problem but almost all of the hosts were foreigners.

Yes I read your blog Melissa! Thx so much

Kyoto is a must! It's very scenic with historical temples and shrines. I did tokyo-hiroshima-osaka-kyoto-mount fuji- tokyo in 12 days earlier this year, it was a great trip. The bamboo forest and Miyajima island mentioned above are both lovely sites. I got a 14 day train pass (mailed to my address in toronto) and I went everywhere with it (except for a few bus rides). Also got a data sim which was about CAD40 for 1gb data and was extremely useful. I recommened staying at Washington hotel in Akihabara in Tokyo and Sakura Terence in Kyoto.

Hi
KaKi, sorry for the late response, but did you go with any tour companies or did you go on your own? Would love to hear the itinerary you came up with. Thanks.

We are backpacking our way around Japan. airbnb in over night in Osaka, the next day heading to Himeji to check out the Himeji Castle. Then going to Kyoto, Kanazawa - to see Edo Japan, Nagano- checking out the snow monkeys, Tokyo for 3-4 nights, Mt fugi, then Kayo-san where we are staying in a temple at Mt Koya, then back to Osakafor one last night before we depart. We leave on the 9th!

check out migrationology.com
MIGRATIONOLOGY.COM
Migrationology.com - Food Travel Blog